Sweet Briar College (SBC) and the University of Virginia (UVA) have entered into a collaboration known as UVAccelerate, aimed at enabling early entry for SBC students into UVA’s Master of Engineering programs. This initiative allows eligible Sweet Briar students to seek graduate admission to UVA during their junior year and commence graduate-level coursework during their senior year, thus expediting the attainment of their Master of Engineering degree.
Upon acceptance into the program, Sweet Briar students are paired with a designated advisor from UVA’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. This advisor works in conjunction with the student and their SBC advisor to recommend appropriate UVA Engineering graduate courses for the student’s senior year. These graduate-level courses at UVA can be taken concurrently with undergraduate courses at Sweet Briar, either on-site in Charlottesville or online through the Virginia Engineering Online program. Upon completion of their undergraduate degree at Sweet Briar, students transition seamlessly into their designated UVA Master of Engineering program in the fifth year of the 4+1 program.
President of Sweet Briar College, Mary Pope M. Hutson, expressed enthusiasm about this collaborative endeavor, emphasizing its value in supporting talented female undergraduate engineers. She highlighted the longstanding success of Sweet Briar’s ABET-accredited engineering program in preparing graduates for industry roles and the pride in announcing the acceptance of three Sweet Briar students into the program.
UVA President James Ryan extended gratitude to President Hutson and Sweet Briar for their partnership, welcoming Sweet Briar students to the esteemed Engineering School at UVA. He anticipated the valuable contributions these students would make to both the UVA community and their chosen field of study.
Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at UVA, Jennifer L. West, lauded UVAccelerate as a top-tier and cost-efficient option for Sweet Briar students seeking an early start on their engineering graduate degrees. She underscored the significance of this collaboration in addressing the historical underrepresentation of women in the field of engineering, reflecting the institutions’ joint commitment to enhancing access and equity in STEM disciplines.
The faculty members from Sweet Briar and the University of Virginia collaborated closely to define the parameters of the partnership, ensuring alignment on curriculum requirements and admission procedures to uphold the learning objectives of both institutions. Promotion of the program to Sweet Briar’s engineering students is slated for the fall of their junior year, ahead of the March application deadline. Applicants can expect admission decisions by early April, allowing sufficient time for planning their senior-year course schedules.
The partnership agreement, effective immediately, is set to span three years initially, with provisions for potential amendments or extensions beyond this timeframe.